Green Eyes
by ApertureMan
Summary: Annabeth thought she had the next few years all figured out: no boyfriends, no distractions, just graduating college and getting a job at an architecture firm. That all changes though when she meets Thalia's cousin Percy and she can't help falling in love with him. (Percabeth).
1. Chapter 1

There air was heavy with dew, the dense humidity clinging to her skin like a skintight suit. All around her, the wilderness was whispering, the green leaves and pungent odor of wet earth flooding her sense. Annabeth closed her eyes and breathed in her surroundings, overwhelmed by the purity, the simplicity.

"This sucks."

Thalia Grace trudged towards her, the knee high ferns yielding to her almighty strides as she pushed her way through the undergrowth. Annabeth's best friend was not dressed for the occasion; tight black jeans and a thick hoodie of the same color weren't the best hiking clothes, especially this time of year. Annabeth personally didn't understand how her best friend wasn't being cooked alive under all that clothing. She smiled, watching on with a certain measure of pity as Thalia stumbled on a tree root and nearly fell.

"This was your idea," she said, casting her eyes back to the beauty that surrounded her, "and I'm enjoying myself. It's nice to get out of the city." Thalia grumbled something incomprehensible as she finally reached her blonde counterpart, breathing heavily. She stared down the trees and the undergrowth that encompassed them, as if they had personally affronted her, electric blue eyes burning with distaste.

"This was my cousins idea," she said bitterly, "he said it would be fun. We're definitely going to need to have words about what the definition of fun is."

Annabeth laughed, the sound of her voice ringing out through the towering trees. "I think your cousin has a better grasp on that than you do," she replied teasingly, "now come on, we don't have much further to go." Thalia gave her a horrified look, her mouth hanging open.

"You mean there's more?", she said incredulously, throwing her arms into the air in a gesture that was exasperation personified. Annabeth turned away, laughing, and bounded up towards the bluff with the grace of a gazelle, knowing that Thalia would follow. Sweat trickled down from her brow, and her hair was thoroughly soaked by the humidity that seemed to swallow her up as she climbed higher and higher. The green and red of the trees seemed to blur and combine as she continued her uphill charge, the grey blanket of clouds above whispering a promise of impending rain. There. A small wooden marker driven into the ground signified the location of the bluff overlooking the bridge. Annabeth turned around to look for Thalia. Finding no sign of her, a small pang of panic resonated through her heart.

"Thalia?" She called out into the green depths amassed around her, straning her head in search of her best friend.

"Trying to lose me, huh?", came a distant response. Annabeth's face turned upwards at the discernable note of extreme annoyance evident in Thalia's voice, even from a distance. Chuckling to herself, she took the last three steps up to the bluff and turned, her heart jumping as she suddenly realized that she wasn't alone. There, sitting with his legs dangling off the precipice, sat a boy. He had a shock of black hair, that contrasted nicely with his tan skin. Even from here, Annabeth could tell that he was well built; his broad shoulders stretching the green shirt he wore across his back. He sat in complete silence, staring out over the San Francisco bay, taking in the beauty of the golden gate bridge.

Annabeth, not to be deterred by this boy's presence, moved closer to the edge. Even after living in California for her whole life, the beauty of the bay area still left her breathless. The Boy shifted, moving to push his hair back and pulling out an earbud in a sweeping, seamless motion.

"Beautiful, huh?", he said, his deep voice filled with melancholy. He kept his back to her, his gaze still lost in the waves and the fog that rolled out before them. She didn't answer immediately, her eyes shut, drinking in the sounds of the ocean, the wind that blew through her golden hair, the birds calling to each other in the tree's. "Yes," she replied, her voice almost a whisper.

When she opened her eyes, the boy was standing in front of her, smiling softly at her. With a start, she realized he had to be the most attractive man she'd ever seen in her entire life. His eyes were a piercing shade of green, his jaw line angular and his cheekbones high. The faintest trace of dimples were outlined on his tanned face as he met her eyes. She felt that breathless sensation sweep over her again as he held her gaze for what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, he looked away, casting his eyes back out to the ocean. Annabeth felt as though she'd been struck by lightning as she watched him breeze past her, meeting her eyes one last time as he went.

And then he was gone. Annabeth resisted the urge to chase after him and ask for his name: instead, she decided that she'd acted like a little girl enough for a day. She walked to the bluff, staring down over the edge at the ocean that raged against the stony shore, hundreds of feet below where she stood. She stayed like that, absorbed in her surroundings, until the heavy breathing of her out of shape best friend tore her from her immersion. Thalia glared at her as Annabeth sheepishly turned to meet her gaze, her electric blue eyes filled with annoyance. "Have you just been standing here this whole time? That anxious to be by yourself?", she huffed, plopping herself down next too where Annabeth sat. Annabeth opened her mouth, about to tell her about the boy, but she stopped herself at the last second. It felt too personal; Thalia would certainly just laugh at her and tell her that she was going soft or something. Instead she grinned at her best friend before pinched her nose, and pretending to gag.

"No," she said through a faux expression of disgust, "you just smell horrible."

Thalia huffed, turning away.

* * *

Hey all. This is the new story I'm gonna be working on for a little bit: please be kind, this will be the first percy jackson fan fic that I've ever written. Loved the books, hated the movies, and due to the fact that PJO actually was the thing that got me into fan fiction, it will always have a special place in my heart.

Neither of my other two stories that I'm currently working on are being abandoned, but rather put on hiatus until I enjoy writing them again.

This chapter would've been longer, but I really wanted to just get it out and see what people think before I write more.

Please Follow and Review if you've got a second! It would mean alot. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**QUACK, QUACK, QUACK, QUACK.**

Annabeth opened one eye, and glared at the caller ID through a tangle of blonde hair. _11:02_. Sighing, she sat up and tapped the green icon on her iPhone, preparing herself for Thalia's voice to come blaring through the speaker.

" _GOOD MORRRNINNGGG,"_ came the annoyingly sing-songy voice, grating against Annabeth's ears like a thousand nails on a chalkboard. Annabeth huffed in irritation, pinching the bridge of her nose as she waited for her friend to just _shut up_. "What do you want," she replied, her voice scratchy and deep from sleep. "I want food!", Thalia replied, as if that was obvious. Annabeth shifted in bed, rolling her eyes, and, despite herself, smiling a bit at her friends childish demeanor. "I'm not your mom, you know," she responded, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "you can go get food by yourself, and I have a job interview at 11." Thalia was quiet for a few moments, and in the background, Annabeth could hear the ambient noise of the interstate as cars whizzed past her.

"CAN YOU MOVE? JESUS MAN PEOPLE HAVE PLACES TO BE!" Annabeth recoiled from her iPhone like it was radioactive, her ear ringing. "Sorry Annie, this douchebag is blocking two lanes of traffic. I know I can get food by myself, but there's something else that I need to talk to you about." Thalia's voice had dropped in pitch, and Annabeth knew that whatever she needed to tell her was serious. Sighing, she slipped out of bed, missing the warmth of her comforter the second that she left it. "Okay," she said, "I'll meet you at the starbucks?". Thalia and Annabeth had been going to the same starbucks all throughout high school: it was the quietest one they'd ever been in, and getting shitty coffee and food there was something of an odd tradition, yet one that they maintained feverently. She could almost hear Thalia nodding through the phone. "I'll see you there," she said, before the line went dead with a _click._ Annabeth walked to the shower, cranked the temperature to almost-unbearably-hot, and began to get undressed. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she stood in her bathroom, naked: throughout high school, she'd never thought that she was physically appealing, but she had to grudgingly admit that maturing, as well as a constant exercise regime, had done her a lot of favors. She stepped under the torrent of scalding water and let out a sigh of pleasure, already dreading getting out.

…

For September in California, it was freezing. The wind tore through her hair and made her eyes water as she hiked up the hill towards the Starbucks. _No parking, stupid restaurant_ , Annabeth thought as she looked back at her dinky red Fiat perched precariously on one of San Francisco's many steep slopes. Sighing, she wrapped her scarf around her nose and mouth, and pulled her beany a little bit lower on her forehead. The sound of a guitar being played around somewhere off to her right was faint, most of the notes being lost on the wind.

After what seemed like an eternity, Annabeth finally burst into the Starbucks, the sudden flood of warm light and warm air bathing her in, well, warmth. She smiled, pulling down her scarf as she surveyed the quaint scene in front of her. Unlike most other Starbucks around the US, this one was very secluded; it had been from the very first time she'd set foot in it, all the way back in eighth grade. Annabeth had no inclination as to why that was: she mostly attributed it to the fact that it sat facing the ocean, a little ways away from the center of San Francisco, and the somewhat annoying trek that you had to undergo in order to reach it. Thalia sat near the left side of the wall, facing away from her. Annabeth took this as a hint to get her drink before joining her as she walked up to the Barista.

The woman working at the counter was a tall red headed girl, whose name tag simply said "RED". She must be new; most of the employee's around this starbucks had worked here from the time that she had begun coming, yet Annabeth had never seen her before.

"What'll it be today miss," Red said, her bright smile and pretty freckles stretching across her pale face. Her accent was distinctly that of a New Yorker. "One Venti Hot chocolate please," Annabeth replied, "with extra marshmallows."

One creation of a venti hot chocolate later, and Annabeth slid into her seat opposite her best friend. Thalia wore a dark blue hoodie and a light blue beanie, as well as dark jeans. Her eyes were red.

"Hey," she greeted quietly, swirling her drink around in its paper receptacle. Annabeth ducked her head playfully, trying to meet Thalia's gaze. "Hey too you too, Mrs. Surly," she teased, offering a small smile. Thalia looked up at her, her mouth twitching upwards, and sighed, "Luke called me last night. He got back yesterday," Annabeth froze at the mention of her life long crush-turned-enemy, meeting Thalia's eyes. "He says he wants to see us," She continued, dropping her attention back to the remainder of her hot chocolate, "but I think by us, he means you."

Annabeth sat back in her chair. Why would Luke come running back to San Francisco now? And why would he want to see her? They had drifted apart in highschool, and throughout their senior year, they had thoroughly hated each other: Annabeth couldn't condone Luke's excessive drinking and smoking, and the fact that he had led her on for six months certainly didn't help her opinion of him.

"Well, I don't think that I particularly want to see him," she said, shrugging and staring at the floor. She knew that Thalia wouldn't be fooled, and the small, humourless laugh that followed confirmed that. "Yeah," she said, " The guy you've been in love with since you were five comes running back into town and says that he wants to see you, but here you are, telling me you don't care," Thalia's eyes blue eyes bore into her own, "totally believable." Annabeth huffed in indignance, twiddling her thumbs, dropping her gaze from her friends. "Anyways," Thalia said, "I just thought I should tell you in person. Wanted to gauge your reaction." She stood, narrowing her eyes in a playful manner, smiling all the while. She began to walk away, but turned back at the door. "Annie," she called. Annabeth turned to look at Thalia, whose facial expression was one of utmost sympathy, "I know that, somehow, you still care about him. Just please be careful, he's not the kid we grew up with anymore." Annabeth nodded as Thalia slipped out into the cold, watching her friend go.

"None of us are," she said to herself.

…

She instantly missed the warmth of the Starbucks as she stepped back outside, the strength of the wind nearly making her lose her balance as she walked into the gale. Wrapping jacket and scarf as tightly as she could around herself, she began to hurry back to her Fiat. Crossing the street, the sound of that same acoustic guitar sang out to hear, much clearer than it had the first time. She paused at the opposite side of the intersection, looking down longingly at her car. _Nothing's stopping you_ , she thought, yet curiosity won out, and she walked around the corner to observe the musician. Her heart stopped as he stared back at her, those two Sea Green orbs meeting her own.

He smiled.

* * *

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. They will get longer over time, and the rate of updates will slow down, so enjoy getting daily/bi-daily updates until my enthusiasm(or time) wanes. Review and follow! The story will get completed, I promise.


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